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Kool Moe Dee (rapper)
Mohandas Dewese (born August 8, 1962), better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American hip hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was one of the first rappers to earn a Grammy Award and was the first rapper to perform at the Grammys. Early life Dewese was born in Manhattan, New York City. He attended Norman Thomas High School on 33rd and Park Avenue in New York City. He had a reputation for being a quiet, eccentric young man, frequently holding a pen and paper to write his rhymes. Early career In the late 1970s, Kool Moe Dee met Special K, DJ Easy Lee, and LA Sunshine to form the influential old school hip hop group the Treacherous Three on Enjoy Records. It was with The Treacherous Three in 1981 that Kool Moe Dee performed his freestyle onstage roast of old school party rapper Busy Bee Starski, a performance frequently cited as a pivotal moment in the development of the battle rap and the lyrical rapper. In 1981, they moved to Sugar Hill Records along with another Enjoy Records act Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The Treacherous Three became well known for their singles "Feel the Heart Beat" and "Whip It". They were featured in the 1984 breakdance movie Beat Street, performing the song "Xmas Rap" with Doug E. Fresh but disbanded shortly afterwards. Solo career In 1985, the Treacherous Three disbanded, with each member pursuing solo careers. After leaving the group, Kool Moe Dee attended the State University of New York at Old Westbury, where he received a degree in communications. In 1986, he went solo, releasing a self-titled album that ranked 83 on Billboard. He co-operated with the young producer Teddy Riley which contributed greatly to the New Jack Swing movement that would gain popularity in the years to follow. Kool Moe Dee released his second album, How Ya Like Me Now which was his most successful album commercially, achieving platinum status. He then went on to release his third album, Knowledge Is King in 1989, which went gold. In 1990 he performed on Quincy Jones' album Back on the Block along with fellow rappers Melle Mel, Big Daddy Kane and Ice-T. The album gained considerable critical and financial success and winning the 1991 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. In 1991, the release of his album Funke, Funke Wisdom signaled Kool Moe Dee's decline. Moe Dee himself has stated that this was his worst album. He induced his release from Jive Records in 1992. After a two year lay off, he released his greatest hits album which regained some of his former success and acclaim. In 1994, his album Interlude was released and failed to gain Moe Dee much of his former success of the mid '80s. In 1993, he re-united with his fellow ex members of the Treacherous Three to release the album Old School Flava on DJ EasyLee's record label Ichiban. His last commercial release was the single "Love Love/What You Wanna Do" which was released onSpoiled Brat Entertainment inc'. Feud with LL Cool J Kool Moe Dee conducted a long-running rivalry with fellow New York rapper LL Cool J. Along with other rappers such as MC Shan, Kool Moe Dee claimed that LL had stolen their rap styles. He also felt that LL was disrespecting the reigning MCs at the time, himself, Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz by proclaiming that he was the greatest without paying due respect to those who came before him. He challenged LL on his platinum selling album How Ya Like Me Now on the single of the same name. He also took a shot at LL by appearing on the album cover with a jeep in the background with the wheel crushing one of LL's trademark red Kangol hats. The feud persisted, with both MCs proclaiming themselves the victor. Other appearances Kool Moe Dee appeared on Will Smith's #1 pop hit "Wild Wild West" from Smith's 1999 motion picture, Wild Wild West, on which he re-performs the chorus to his 1988 single also named "Wild Wild West". In 2003, he authored a book called There's a God on the Mic (ISBN 1-56025-533-1), which breaks down his 50 favorite MCs in terms of originality, concepts, versatility, vocabulary, substance, flow, flavor, freestyle, vocal presence, live performance, poetic value, body of work, industry impact, social impact, longevity, lyrics and battle skills, where he ranked himself as number #5, ahead of MCs such as The GZA, and Tupac Shakur. He placed LL Cool J at #7, despite their past disputes and rivalry, even referring to LL as an "unbreakable master". In 2007, Kool Moe Dee appeared on the remix of Nas' "Where are They Now", with fellow old school rap artists. He released some new tracks and a video on his MySpace page to accompany one of the songs. He also appeared on the Ice-T track "Fight Club" and re-recorded several of his more popular songs. In 2008, he began hosting SpitFire with Kool Mo Dee, an internet hip hop talk show. The show contains discussion on issues relating to both hip hop culture and general issues that affect the world. Each show has a different panel of guests, including Xzibit, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, DMC, and many others. In an interview with House of Hiphop, Kool Moe Dee stated that he would be releasing a new album in 2009. He has also confirmed that he is releasing a new album in an interview with Davey D on 9 October where he stated that he has "cracked what should be expected from a 40 plus MC". Acting career Kool Moe Dee had a brief cameo appearance in the movie Wild Style and appeared in the film Beat Street with the Treacherous Three and Doug E. Fresh. Since then, he has appeared in a total of 17 movies and TV shows as an actor and 21 as himself. He portrayed a bartender in the Britney Spears feature film Crossroads. Discography Albums * Kool Moe Dee (1986) * How Ya Like Me Now (1987) * Knowledge Is King (1989) * The Greatest HitsI56 (1990) * Funke, Funke Wisdom (1991) * Interlude (1994) I Despite its title, The Greatest Hits is a studio album rather than a compilation album, and is not to be confused with Kool Moe Dee's 1993 compilation album Greatest Hits. Singles * Songs * Appeared on * The Isley Brothers "Come Together" on the album Spend the Night (Warner Bros - 1988) * Quincy Jones w/ Melle Mel & Big Daddy Kane & Ice-T "Back On the Block" from the album Back on the Block (Qwest Records - 1989) * Quincy Jones w/ Ice T, Big Daddy Kane "Jazz Corner of the World" from the album Back on the Block (Qwest Records - 1989) * Stop the Violence Movement "Self Destruction" (Jive/ RCA Records - 1989) * HEAL w/ various artists Civilization Vs. Technology (Elektra - 1991) * Zebrahead "Good Time" from the album Zebrahead Soundtrack (Ruffhouse - 1992) * CB4 w/ Daddy-O & Hi-C "Rapper's Delight" CB4 Soundtrack (MCA - 1993) * Regina Belle "Tango In Paris" from the album Passion (Columbia - 1993) * Babydol "I Want You Back" (Miracle - 1993) * "Keep It Real" from the album Raiders Of the Lost Art (Scotti Bros - 1994) * w/ Treacherous Three "Raiders Of the Lost Art" from the album Raiders Of the Lost Art (Scotti Bros - 1994) * Animaniacs Hip-Opera Christmas (Rhino - 1997) * The Spinners "I'll Be Around" from the album At Their Best (Intersound - 1999) * "I Go To Work" from the album Bad Boy Bill's Vocal Mix" (Jive - 1999) * Will Smith w/ Dru Hill "Wild Wild West" from the album Willenium (Columbia - 1999) * Pablo "Next Level" (Howlin - 2003) * Nas w/ various artists "Where Are They Now (80's Remix)" (Ill Will Records - 2007) * Ice-T "Darc Fight Club" EP also features "Revolution" 2009 * Redman "Redman Presents... Reggie" Track "Rock Wit Da Best" Music Videos * Videos * Links * Entry at Discogs * Lyrics transcriptions from OHHLA.com * "Kool Moe Dee (aka: Dr Media) Leads Industry Therapy", NYU Stern video See Also * List of Rappers and Rap Groups * List of Rappers * List of American rappers and rap groups * List of American rappers * List of New York Metropolitan Area rappers and rap groups * List of rapers and rap groups in New York City, New York * Hip-Hop * Hip-Hop music * Hip-Hop culture * History of hip-hop * Hip-Hop Timeline: 1925 - Present * 1970's hip-hop * Key people on the beginning of hip-hop music Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Kool Moe Dee (rapper) Category:August 8 birthdays Category:1962 births